


DON'T WAKE THE BEAR-BOROMIR'S TURN

by rubyelf



Category: Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-05
Updated: 2013-01-05
Packaged: 2017-11-23 18:51:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/625450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubyelf/pseuds/rubyelf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Boromir has somehow gotten talked into playing Pippin's game. Hobbits seem to be able to talk Boromir into all kinds of things, don't they? Aragorn ends up a very puzzled bear indeed, and Pippin gets a chance to show off some of his best artwork.</p>
            </blockquote>





	DON'T WAKE THE BEAR-BOROMIR'S TURN

**Author's Note:**

> Directly follows "DON'T WAKE THE BEAR" which can also be found amongst my list of works.

Aragorn dozed in his armchair, the sunbeams from the window spilling across the book that lay open in his lap. His feet in soft house slippers were propped up on a stool, and his hair fell absently against his cheek as he rested with his face turned away from the bright light. This being the private library of the royal family, the walls were lined with bookshelves, but there was little in the way of furniture besides a table, a few padded stools, and Aragorn’s large, well-cushioned armchair.

“Not much in the way of places to hide,” Merry assessed.

Pippin took his turn peeking in. “Well, that’s half the challenge. Besides, Boromir’s so big we’d need an entire room just to hide him in.”

Boromir gave the younger hobbit a sharp look. “Now, see here. I’m not…”

“Shh!” Merry hissed.

“Don’t wake the bear,” Pippin reminded him, and giggled.

“Why am I doing this, again?” Boromir asked, glancing at Merry.

“Because it’s going to be so worth it,” Pippin said, grinning.

“How long till Arwen gets home?” Merry asked.

Boromir glanced over his shoulder. “Any time.”

“Good! Then go do it!” Pippin said eagerly.

“Me? I thought you two…”

“If you don’t take the risk, you don’t get the points,” Pippin said.

“What points?” the man asked, puzzled.

“Points you can use for things from us… like an entire hobbit-free afternoon,” Merry said.

“Hmm. How many points do I need for that?”

“We assign points after the bear is dealt with,” Pippin interrupted, handing Boromir a folder full of loose papers. “These are my very best drawings, so it doesn’t matter which one…”

“Your best?” Boromir asked. “This one looks like Frodo riding Elrond like he’s a pony!”

“That’s Sam,” Pippin corrected. “I draw Frodo with more hair.”

“And this one looks like Gandalf being tied up by naked dwarves!”

“It is Gandalf being tied up by naked dwarves,” Pippin said.

“Boromir, get moving!” Merry urged.

Boromir rolled his eyes, but carefully eased the door open enough to step into the library. Aragorn didn’t stir as the man moved slowly toward him, the sound of his motions quiet compared to the noisy chatter of sparrows arguing on the ledge outside the window. When he was standing over Aragorn, he glanced back at the door; both hobbits motioned to him excitedly.

He reached down and gingerly tugged at the book in Aragorn’s hands. It began to slide free, but Aragorn shifted and stirred in his chair. Boromir froze, and Aragorn settled back down again with a soft sigh. He gave the book another slight tug, gradually working it out from under Aragorn’s hands, while Aragorn slept on. Finally he had the book, and held it up in triumph, receiving silent cheers of approval from his hobbits. He set the book on the table and opened Pippin’s folder of drawings to something that looked particularly filthy and ridiculous. With Aragorn still dozing, he crouched down and began to cautiously slide the edges of the folder under the man’s fingers.

He had the folder secured under Aragorn’s hands well enough to keep it from falling when the man began to stir again; Boromir straightened and backed up quickly, and Aragorn yawned, turned his head toward the window, and slumped deeper in his chair.

Boromir slipped quickly through the door and into the excited embrace of Merry and Pippin, both grabbing at his hands excitedly and whispering in delight.

“Excellent work!”

“Spectacular. You’ve got a knack for playing with bears!”

“Couldn’t have done it better myself!”

“He didn’t even move a finger…”

There was the sound of a door opening somewhere else in the royal quarters, and Arwen’s voice greeting her handmaiden in the main room, inquiring as to the whereabouts of her husband. Boromir snatched up a hobbit in each arm and darted into the spare bedroom across the hall, pressing against the wall and glaring at Pippin in an attempt to stop his giggling. Finally he clapped a hand over the young hobbit’s mouth.

“That’s the only way to do it sometimes,” Merry whispered.

They could hear Arwen’s footsteps in the hall. Though she still had the feather-light tread of a Rivendell elf, stone halls tended to magnify every sound, and she was heavier now with her growing belly; if it were not for those two factors, one would not have heard her approach at all. She opened the door to the library and stepped in.

“Hello, darling. I see you’re… Estel, what is that?”

A sleep-muffled and confused voice attempted a reply. “It’s… oh. I… well… what is that?”

Arwen’s tone was amused. “It appears to be a picture of several hobbits trying to find out exactly how big a cucumber Legolas will tolerate having inserted in his…”

“This is not what I was reading!”

“Of course not, darling.”

“It isn’t! I don’t even know where these came from! Good gods, you don’t think I really want to look at pictures of things being shoved up that elf’s…”

“Of course not, darling,” Arwen said, in a slightly patronizing tone. “I’m sorry I interrupted. Go back to your reading.”

The library door closed on Aragorn’s bewildered mutterings. Boromir had almost relaxed when Arwen stepped into the spare bedroom, proving she could still move silently if she cared to. The hobbits gasped and darted behind Boromir’s legs.

“Err… my Lady,” Boromir said, unsure what else to say.

Arwen glanced past him at the younger hobbit clinging to his left leg.

“Peregrin Took…”

“Yes?” he asked hesitantly.

“You should have drawn a much bigger cucumber,” she said. “Legolas certainly deserves it. Now, the ladies are expecting me for tea. If you’ll excuse me…”

She swept out of the room and off down the hall. Merry and Pippin glanced at each other, eyes wide.

“Well, she wasn’t the bear…” Merry said.

“Don’t try to take my points away,” Boromir argued. “I won fair and square, devious elf women or not.”

“He didn’t wake the bear,” Pippin agreed.

“True,” Merry said. “And it sounds like you have some more drawing to do, Pip.”


End file.
